Category Archives: Post2015 Development Agenda

United Nations – To keep the global spotlight focused on climate change and build on the strong political momentum from Paris, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited representatives of all countries to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change at a special Ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on 22 April. The Signing Ceremony takes place on the first day that the Agreement will be open for signatures, and marks the first step toward ensuring that the Agreement enters into legal force as quickly as possible.

The Paris Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Implementation of the Paris Agreement is essential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides a roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience.

On the 22nd of April 175 world leaders signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement at United Nations Headquarters- promising that their countries will each play their part in limiting the global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

ST. PETERSBURG/VIENNA, 6 November 2015 (UN Information Service) –Addressing participants at the COSP6 closing, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, said today that the Sustainable Development Goals had given the UN Convention against Corruption “renewed purpose and energy”.

“The UN Convention against Corruption was already a highly innovative Convention, but with the new development agenda, we have been given a fresh sense of mission; one that we must not fail,” said Mr. Fedotov. Continue reading →

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presents his annual report on the work of the Organization at the opening of the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventieth session. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Facing a world where inequality is growing, trust is fading, and impatience with leadership can be seen and felt far and wide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon set the stage for 70th General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly today with a call to “translate promises on paper to action on the ground” by backing a bold new sustainability agenda that aims to wipe out poverty and build a sustainable future for all.

“Our aim is clear. Our mission is possible. And our destination is in our sights: an end to extreme poverty by 2030; a life of peace and dignity for all,” the Secretary-General declared, noting that this session of the General Assembly had opened with a “towering achievement”: the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for, including 17 inspiring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This little girl’s arm is being measured in central Niger and if she is malnourished, she will be directed to the nearest health centre for treatment. Photo: WFP/Chris Terry, supported by the EU

27 September 2015 – Underscoring the urgent need to transform how essential health care is delivered in low- and middle-income countries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank Group and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new partnership to support countries in improving the performance of primary health care.

The new partnership, the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) was launched yesterday in New York on the margins of the three-day UN Sustainable Development Summit at an event co-hosted with the governments of Germany, Ghana, and Norway.

Working alongside her male team member, a female employee checks the quality of work at a dam under construction in Sri Lanka. Photo: World Bank/Lakshman Nadaraja

27 September 2015 – As world leaders continued their Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Women and China co-hosted a landmark event today on gender equality and women’s empowerment at which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared that the new Global Goals could not be achieved “without full and equal rights for half of the world’s population, in law and in practice.”

At the high-level ‘Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action’ world leaders are expected to make concrete commitments and firm pledges to overcome gender equality gaps. The event was convened in New York at UN Headquarters on the closing day of the three-day UN Sustainable Development Summit. Continue reading →

Accessing safe and clean water in Woukpokpoe village, Benin. Photo: World Bank/Arne Hoel

27 September 2015 – United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today urged swift action on the newly-adopted Global Goals directly related to the protection and equitable use of the planet’s precious water resources, as discussion continued at UN Headquarters on the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. Speaking at a meeting of the Friends of Water Steering Committee, Mr. Eliasson welcomed the Prime Minister of Thailand Chan-o-cha and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikstan and spoke of the challenges that the Committee faced. Continue reading →

World leaders begin pledging support as Secretary-General launches the “Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health” to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced over $25 billion in initial commitments spanning five years to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure their health and well-being. Heads of State and Government, international organizations, the private sector, foundations, civil society, research and academic institutions, and other key partners joined the event during the UN Summit for the adoption of the sustainable development agenda to pledge their support to the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.